In the EU, almost 4 in 10 employed non-EU citizens with higher education work in a job below their level. For nationals, the figure is about 2 in 10 (Eurostat, 2023). Behind those numbers are people with real degrees and real experience, using only part of what they know.

We started HEIDI to make that gap a little smaller. On 29 October 2026, the seven partners met in Zaragoza, Spain, for the final project meeting, hosted by GEINNOVA. Two days later, on 31 October, the project officially came to an end.

Three years, seven countries

HEIDI began with a kick-off meeting in Oslo in December 2023, with FURIM Institutt as coordinator. Since then, partners from Norway, Germany, Croatia, Estonia, Austria, Lithuania and Spain have worked on two questions. How can a higher-educated immigrant show what they know? And how can an employer see it?

Most of that work happened in long online calls. So it felt right to finish the way we started: in the same room, around one table.

What we built

The main result is the HEIDI portal. It is free and works in seven languages.

For job seekers:

• AI-supported tools for self-assessment, screening and career mapping. The screening tool knows the rules for 17 professions in seven countries and suggests next steps in four directions: continue in your profession, complete your qualifications, move to a new profession or start your own business.

• A skills certification test that covers eight transversal skills, such as critical thinking, communication and digital skills. It takes about 25 to 30 minutes, and the result shows on your profile.

• A CV builder and job listings.

For employers: post vacancies and contact certified candidates directly through the platform inbox.

For career counsellors: follow up the people you support, spot skills gaps and connect them to suitable opportunities.

We also built the HEIDI ecosystem, an online map of 155 organisations in seven countries that help immigrants learn, get their qualifications recognised and find work. You can filter it by country and type of support.

During the project, partners also ran pilots with immigrants, career counsellors and employers in their own countries, to see how the tools work in real life.

Thank you

Thank you to our partners for three years of work and many long online calls:

• Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Germany)

• Učilište Studium (Croatia)

• Vidipost (Estonia)

• VAEV Research and Development Agency (Austria)

• Panevėžys Development Agency (Lithuania)

• GEINNOVA (Spain), who also hosted us in Zaragoza

The portal stays open

The project period ended on 31 October, but the HEIDI portal is still online and free to use.

• Do you have a degree from another country? Create a profile at portal.projectheidi.com.

• Do you hire? Register as an employer at the same link.

• Do you work in career guidance? Register as a counsellor and use the tools with the people you support.

• Want to know who else can help? Explore the HEIDI ecosystem.

Questions? Write to us at info@furim.no.

HEIDI, 2023-1-NO01-KA220-ADU-000165145. Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.